Taylor Swift seemingly used her first public appearance since news of her and Joe Alwyn's breakup broke Saturday to signal to her fans that she is doing just fine, as her outing seemed to be loaded with reassuring Easter eggs.
Swift was photographed out in New York City last night, grabbing dinner at Via Carota in the West Village with friends Jack Antonoff, Margaret Qualley, Jennifer Lawrence, and others.
The location and outfit Swift were seen by fans as subtle messages about how she's doing.
The location: Via Carota is a four minute walk from Cornelia Street. Swift used to live on Cornelia Street while her Tribeca apartment was being renovated, and her song about that time in her life, Lover's “Cornelia Street” was believed to be about her and Alwyn's early relationship in fall 2016. Already, she has nearly disproved its lyrics, “And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends / I'd never walk Cornelia Street again / That's the kinda heartbreak time could never mend,” by showing she has no qualms about dining around there.
But the outfit said far more: Swift was dressed stylishly in a black top—one with a neckline similar to the cut of Princess Diana's famous revenge dress—and Area denim jeans with a bejeweled butterfly on them. She accessorized with a sparkly Paco Rabanne bag and black Mary Jane heels by Sam Edelman.
She also wore a necklace, with Swifties trying to discern if they've seen it before (some theorized it was the one she wore in her “Dear Reader” visual on Spotify, but it's tough to tell since the photos aren't close up). But most clearly, fans and outlets noted that the butterfly Swift wore is a symbol of rebirth, and read its jeweled design as a reference to Swift's Midnights song “Bejeweled” about her at the end of a relationship, finding her shine again. Taylor Swift fashion fan account TSwiftStyle literally dubbed Swift's outfit her “And by the way / I'm going out tonight” look.
Other sample lyrics from the song that, while initially believed to be about Swift's ex Calvin Harris, could also apply to this era of her life too: “Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind / Didn't notice you walking all over my peace of mind / In the shoes I gave you as a present / Putting someone first only works when you're in their top five / And by the way / I'm going out tonight / Best believe I'm still bejeweled / When I walk in the room / I can still make the whole place shimmer / And when I meet the band / They ask, “Do you have a man?” / I could still say, “I don't remember” / Familiarity breeds contempt / Don't put me in the basement / When I want the penthouse of your heart / Diamonds in my eyes / I polish up real / I polish up real nice / Nice.” You can read the rest of the lyrics here.
Swift hasn't commented on reports of her and Alwyn's breakup after six years of dating. But a source close to her and Alwyn gave People a lot of detail about the split, explaining what made Swift realize they weren't the right long term match, including the fact Alwyn had trouble with her celebrity.
“Joe has struggled with Taylor's level of fame and the attention from the public,” the source said. “The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together. They've grown apart.”
“Taylor didn't see them working out in the long run,” the source added.
That source assured the outlet that Swift is doing alright, though, something Swift herself seemed to echo, too. “They are friendly. She doesn't have anything bad to say about Joe,” the source said. “They just grew apart. Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now. There is a lot of respect still between them.”
